In recent years, there have been unexplained cattle lameness in some parts of our county. After investigation, there are 187 cattle and 22 lame cattle in 5 cattle farms in 4 townships (towns). According to analysis and clinical trial treatment, it is believed that it is caused by calcium deficiency. The main reasons for calcium deficiency: one is the lack of calcium in the feed, and the other is the excess of phosphorus in the feed. The place investigated was cattle lameness caused by insufficient calcium in the feed.

Places with lame cows are mostly lumpy low-lying wet areas. In these claudication endemic areas, often due to severe heavy rainfall in the previous season, the soil phosphorus absorbed by plant roots increased, and at the same time, there was a lack of some calcium-containing concentrate supplements. The peak season was from March to June. Sick cows are mostly cows, and bulls rarely get sick. Cows are more likely to occur prenatal or postnatal, and postpartum cows are more likely to develop the disease than prenatal cows.

Cattle limp is usually due to adequate phosphorus content in feed and drinking water or lack of calcium content, resulting in an imbalance in the proportion of calcium and phosphorus. It is reported that calcium accounts for about 37% and phosphorus for about 17% in adult animal bones, and the ratio of calcium to phosphorus is about 2:1. Therefore, it is required that the proportion of calcium and phosphorus in the feed diet should be basically adapted to the proportion of bone. However, when the calcium in the feed diet is deficient, the normal proportion relationship is changed.

It is generally believed that the main reason for calcium deficiency in yellow cattle is that the ratio of calcium and phosphorus required for normal diets has changed. Rainy, low temperature zone of the plant phosphorus content is high, low calcium. Now the wide application of phosphorus fertilizer, so that plant fruit and straw phosphorus content is high, but also to lose the normal proportion of calcium and phosphorus. Concentrates containing more phosphorus include sorghum (phosphorus 0.34%, calcium 0.19%), soybean cake (phosphorus 0.56%, calcium 0.19%), bran (phosphorus 1.0%, calcium 0.1%), corn (phosphorus 0.24%, calcium 0.06%). At present, the yellow cattle in Pan County take corn and its straw as the main feed, while the cereal grass and green hay are very few, so the calcium deficiency in the feed is the main cause of the disease.

Cows in late pregnancy and lactation are prone to calcium deficiency. During the 1-2 months before delivery, the fetus needs to take a large amount of calcium and phosphorus from the mother to meet its own growth and development needs. The calving cow produces a large amount of milk for the calves to drink, and the milk contains sufficient calcium. In these periods, if the calcium supply is insufficient, the disease will occur.

In the early stage of the disease, the cow suffered from digestive disorders and heterophilia, licking soil, walls and ironware, chewing stones in the wild, and eating filthy bedding in the cow pen. At this time, it is easy to cause esophageal obstruction, traumatic net gastritis, etc. Some cattle dung is dry and thin, and there is undigested food in the dung.

After a period of ectopia, the patient is limp, inflexible, mainly manifested as stiffness of the anterior and posterior limbs, swaying of the body after walking, or limping of the limb wheel. Back waist strong, arch back to stand, often lying on the ground unwilling to stand up. When standing, the sick limbs move frequently, the gait is strong when walking, and it is easy to sweat when in service. Sick cattle stand up difficult, one limb or several limbs at the same time, lameness when light heavy, recurrent. General with the increase in the amount of exercise and limp aggravate, and finally can not stand up and was paralyzed. Sick cows show different postures due to different degrees of calcium deficiency, such as pain and abnormal appearance of spine, rib arch and limb joints. Spine collapse or protuberance, joint swelling or deformation; The arrangement of caudal vertebrae is displaced and deformed. In heavy cases, the caudal vertebrae become soft and the vertebral body atrophies. The last 10 vertebral bodies often disappear. Artificial can curl the caudal vertebrae and the sick cow does not feel pain. Pelvic deformation, severe cases can occur dystocia. When lying on the ground due to inflexible limbs flexion, often fall or slip. The degree of bone loosening and wear is greater than that of normal cattle, and it is easy to stab sick cattle with needles into the frontal bone, with poor appetite, anemia, emaciation, and rumination disorders. Common complications are mainly limbs, lumbar joint sprain, Achilles tendon exfoliation, pathological fracture; long lying can not afford to have bedsores, gastrointestinal relaxation, sepsis and so on

The ratio of calcium and phosphorus content in the diet for 4.1 prevention of yellow cattle feed should be close to 2.5: 1. It is most ideal. Roughage should be supplemented with cereal grass and green hay, preferably Nanjing stone powder. Shell powder and eggshell powder are also effective, but bone powder should not be supplemented. In the epidemic area of this disease, Nanjing stone powder can be mixed with concentrate feed according to the proportion of 5% throughout the year, and the content of calcium and phosphorus in the feed diet can be maintained at about 2.5: 1.

4.2 treatment with calcium and vitamin D supplementation. (1)10% sodium chloride solution 200~300ml, intravenous injection, once every other day, 7~10 days for a course of treatment. (2)5% glucose calcium chloride 300~400ml, intravenous injection, 1 times every other day. (3) 10ml of vitamin D colloidal calcium, intramuscular injection, once a day. (4) calcium lactate, calcium carbonate and Nanjing stone powder are also effective.

Case 1: On July 20, 2012, the author found that five cows had limp in different postures in the fish pond cattle breeding demonstration farm in Shiqiao Town, Panxian County. One of them had severe limp and could only stand up after being forced to pull. According to the owner of the animal, all five cows had a heterophile (picking up filthy bedding in pens, picking up plastic film and licking soil, stones, etc. when grazing). Three of the five cows were postpartum lactation cows and two were pregnant cows. Clinical symptoms: body temperature was measured. The temperature of 2 pregnant cows was slightly higher, 39.8 ℃ and 39.9 ℃ respectively, while the other 3 cows were 38.6 ℃, 38.6 ℃ and 38.9 ℃ respectively. The body temperature of 5 cows was normal. Sick cows have poor appetite, emaciation, difficulty in standing up, often lying on the ground and unwilling to stand up, frequently moving affected limbs and swollen joints. Comprehensive analysis, may be due to calcium deficiency caused by this disease. Treatment method: vitamin D colloidal calcium 15ml, intramuscular injection, once a day; At the same time, 5% glucose calcium chloride 500ml, intravenous injection, once every other day, a course of treatment for 7 days, continuous use for 3 courses of treatment; In addition, add feed high in calcium. Through the above treatment, 5 cattle were cured.

Case 2: On August 2, 2013, Puhuang Cattle Farm in Lemin Town of our county requested diagnosis and treatment of 3 limping cows in the farm. Chief Complaint: These three cows are all postpartum cows, and one of them has ectopia (licking soil, stones, etc. on the ground). Because the calf is eating milk, it dare not take medicine and does not know what medicine to use. Clinical symptoms: 3 cows have normal body temperature (measured, body temperature is 38.5, 38.8, 39.1 ℃), all appear limp in different postures, even if forced to drive, can only barely stand up, but for a while and can't afford to lie down. Comprehensive analysis, the 3 lame cattle may be due to calcium deficiency. Treatment: For 2 cows with severe lameness, 500ml of 5% glucose calcium chloride is used for intravenous injection once every other day for 7 days. For one of the cows with no serious lameness, 10ml of vitamin D colloidal calcium is used for intramuscular injection once a day for 2 courses of treatment. Use 250g of calcium carbonate and 250g of stone powder, add 2000ml of regular water, once every other day for 6 days. Through treatment, 3 cattle were cured.

(1) The livestock in our county use corn and its straw as the main feed, and corn and straw contain less calcium and more phosphorus, so calcium deficiency in feed is the main cause of this disease. (2) Most cattle farmers have weak scientific and technological awareness, and their feeding methods for cows are still very primitive. They do not supplement calcium-containing feed to cows, especially pregnant cows and postpartum cows. (3) For prenatal and postnatal cows, calcium supplements can promote the healthy growth of mothers and fetuses, but it is not that the more calcium supplements, the better. Calcium should be maintained at 2:1; the ratio of phosphorus is appropriate.